New kids playland opens in Channahon

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CHANNAHON – In spite of the rough economy, The Jump Up – a new indoor inflatable recreation center in Channahon – is booked up for parties throughout most of this month and some other weekends here and there into January.

Owner Michelle Moore, of Minooka, knew in her heart it would do well, despite the economy. It was needed, she said.

Moore discovered the need for more children’s activity centers in the Channahon/Minooka area as her daughter, now 8, began getting bigger.

“Everyplace we went for birthday parties and kids’ events was a half hour or 45 minutes away,” she said. “We were always looking for a place for kids to go. We needed something here.”

The area was growing by leaps and bounds, with a large number of young families with children. Moore worked for years as a financial controller, with degrees in management and accounting. She loved business and knew she eventually wanted a business of her own. It occurred to her a playplace for kids would be the perfect venture.

It got her out of traveling to and from Naperville every day, too.

“I love my new commute,” she said.

Moore said she had all her paperwork and financial matters lined up a good year ago, but finding the perfect space wasn’t quite as easy. She began looking for a place on Ridge Road in Minooka, but things kept falling through. It would have been a bit costly to locate there, too, she said, because that’s prime storefront real estate.

“I had trouble with a location,” she said, “especially finding a building with high enough ceilings. I had a vision, and I didn’t want to settle for a building that was there, but wasn’t just right.”

She even hired a builder to construct the perfect building, but said with the economy, his financing fell through.

Then, a year later, her “property guys” in Morris told her they had gotten wind of a building in Channahon whose tenants might not renew their lease. This summer, it was confirmed. A warehouse on North Industrial Road in Channahon would be available.

Moore signed the paperwork, and it was hers.

“It was a perfect space,” she said. “There was very little to do there. We put in carpet and painted and did a few more things, and that was about it.”

The Jump Up, Inc., which opened Aug. 1, is an 11,000-square-foot space of six colorful inflatable bouncy slides, balls, and climbing structures – and a smaller one for little kids. The “jump zone” itself is 10,000 square feet. There are also 15 arcade games, such as Top Skater, a bean bag toss, a downhill mountain game, and some claw games.

There is also an area for other games, such as for hop scotch, hula hoops, and giant ball play. There are back-to-back benches all down the middle of the play zone for parents.

“It’s a place for some positive fun energy in the community,” she said. “It’s all indoors, and it’s a great place for kids to burn off their energy. Especially with the cold weather coming, they can come in and exert that pent-up energy.”

Moore said The Jump Up is designed for kids of all ages, as soon as they can walk and climb well. Parents should accompany their smaller ones on the inflatables. Older kids can navigate the structures just fine on their own, but should be told to watch out for the younger ones while they’re playing.

Moore said socks are mandatory, and she might ask kids wearing sharp earrings or other such items to remove them before climbing.

There are scheduled open jump times throughout the week, but Moore suggests checking the web site for times. They vary each week, as she closes open jump times for private parties. She posts the open jump times on the web site every Sunday night.

There are different size party rooms patrons can reserve for parties or organized events, and a party assistant is thrown in with the package, as are all paper products and plasticware. Parties have to bring their own cakes in for now, but Moore is working on including cakes in the packages, as well. She will also order pizza and have it delivered, but the food is not included in package prices yet.

Party packages include The Super Duper Jump Party. For $250, parties can be scheduled for 20 people for 2 hours – 75 minutes in the Jump Zone and 45 minutes in the party room.

The Super Jump Party is $185 on a weekday ($220 on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) and includes up to 15 friends for a one-and-a-half hour party – 50 minutes in Jump Zone and 40 in party room.

The Jump Party is $145 on a weekday ($180 on a weekend) and includes up to eight friends and lasts an hour-and-a-half.

Moore also plans on Jump Camp for times when school is out, such as winter, spring, and summer breaks. Kids could come in for a week or more, even all summer, for jumping, crafts, games with a counselor, running around in the sprinkler outside, and taking walks.

For more information about The Jump Up, Inc., call (815) 467-0080, or visit www.thejumpupinc.com. The facility is located at 24240 S. Northern Illinois Drive in Channahon, off Route 6, just west of I-55, at the end of the street.

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